Sideoats Grama

This Wisconsin prairie grass can be found in high prairies in southern Wisconsin to the north in St. Croix County and also in Monroe, Juneau, Portage, Waupaca and Sheboygan Counties. In the 1800s when buffalo roamed, gramma grass was the buffalo's main diet. Today, other wild animals and domestic animals like to graze on it. This grass stands 18-32 inches tall and has a "spikelet" that measures ¼-inch long. The leaves grow in a clump and twist and twirl away from the plant's base. Its name gives away the plant's design, with stems that grow upwards and tall, each with about 30 fruits hanging on the same side of the thin stem.